Sagging Hopes

Sagging Hopes

I gather that MSNBC’s Touré was horrendously offended by a Don Lemon comment on O’Reilly about saggy pants. So he accused Don Lemon (among others) of being a “White Leader” and asked why they don’t focus on White on White violence.  Well, as I am not, nor have I ever been an Albino or a member of the KKK, I have no idea what constitutes a “White Leader.”  Though, I am looking forward to Touré educating all of us about that. As for the deplorable state of White on White violence, hell yes these kids need some pointers!  Let’s start, as suggested, with Saggy Pants.

Now, while I have no kids, I have a very large extended family and I can testify that quite a few of them around middle and high school age do the saggy pants thing. Saggin’ is not just for black people. It’s for any kid who wants to irritate the powers that be. I get that, and I too started somewhere silly, but thank god I’ve finally destroyed all the pictures. (I hope.) So I’ve got plausible deniability.  Still, having lived through the Michael Jackson jackets with a full mile of useless zippers , and the girls in Junior High all dressing like Boy George and attacking anyone who said he was gay. (true story) People my age were as bad or worse than what’s out there today.  We’re not better, we just got over it.

I suppose it’s the functionality of the thing.  Presumably Sagging Pants come from prisoners in jail not being able to have belts – maybe it’s true, maybe not. It doesn’t matter. I remember people not shaving (who had the option) so they could look like Don Johnson. In Miami Vice he was allegedly trying to look like a drug dealer as he was an undercover Cop.  Well, now the dealers have Saggy Pants, or so we are told.

Now let’s think about this.  These kids want to either look like or be gang  members, so let’s look at that lifestyle a little.  It’s all about making money, right? So gang bangers or whoever spend lots of their time on the move making money.  Running after people who owe them money – running away from people to whom THEY owe money.  Running from the police,  the FBI, competitors who are just a little better armed – chasing down competitors who aren’t as well armed as them.  It’s a pretty active and nervous lifestyle I would expect.

Now, these kids – probably not much better or worse than we are – either want to look like these guys (kind of sad) or they want to BE these guys (really sad.)  Or they want to look like their friends, who want to look like or be those guys.  I don’t approve, but I also don’t expect one single kid to care what I think. I wouldn’t have.  I just have one little question. If you are thinking of taking up this lifestyle or looking like someone who wants this active and nervous life, I can’t get around this one question.

Why in the hell would you tie your knees together?